Barcelo Solymar: Truly Awful

I understand the situation in Cuba, and that a 3.5 star hotel there would not be the same as a 3.5 star in Canada but I never could have imagined the condition of this hotel. The hotel is leaking, and the ceiling is falling down in many places. Railings are dangerously loose and puddles/ spills go hours without being mopped up. I slipped many times and found the hotel to be generally unsafe. We had to switch rooms because of a severe leak in our ceiling that was dripping through a light f [... read more]ixture. Our original room also looked as though the bathroom had not been cleaned before we got there. Our second room was full of mold from the curtains to the lamp shades. There was evidence of termites, and we saw cockroachs on the property as well. Food cleanliness was not a thing here. The buffet was inedible. It went beyond missing a few items as we normally would expect in Cuba. This food was disgusting. It was covered in bugs, uncooked meat was kept out in the open and chefs used the same utensils for the uncooked meat as the other food. Glasses came dirty and with lipstick on them. There was very little I felt comfortable eating. There were 5 al le carte restaurants on site, but only 3 were open. The food in these restaurants was the same that was served at the buffet. The buffet was also only open certain hours of the day, and there was no where to eat outside of these hours. Although this was all inclusive, they made it very hard to get a drink. The only options were Rum, one type of draft beer, two types of wine, and three other spirits. Drinks were served in small paper cups that held about three sips and quickly fell apart. No matter what you ordered you would usually get rum. Online it states that the mini fridge in our room would have water, snacks and beers. This was not true. You got one bottle of water in your mini fridge, replaced every two days. When ours was replaced it was half full, making it appear that it had been refilled from the tap. We were not comfortable drinking Cuban tap water. This practice was also evident in the al le carte restaurants, where our water was poured from one of these bottles that was noticeably yellowed and worn. You had to pay for additional bottled water to drink and the price changed every day. On top of all this the staff throughout the hotel were very rude. Unless you spoke to them in Spanish they brushed you off or did not help you. There were many locals at this hotel, and not many foreigners or other Canadians. We got the feeling we were not wanted there. When we turned away glasses with lipstick on them the waiters would give us dirty looks and shook their heads at us. The only thing nice was the beach. We ended up paying extra money to leave early with a different air line.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Our Favourite Resort

Stayed 2 weeks at Barcelo Riveria and the oceanfront rooms are modern, clean and spacious. The balcony is perfect for the view and to sit and enjoy breakfast from room service. The infinity pool is amazing roomy and refreshing. Lots of pergolas and chairs poolside and beach side. Always a nice breeze too. The al acartes convenient with varied menu items to please everyone. Top shelf liquor in the bar and plenty of chairs to sit outside and in the lobby to enjoy the entertainment. Planning to re [... read more]turn very soon! The Premium service was excellence.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Barcelo Maya Riviera - Mexico

Barcelo Maya Riviera I hesitate to write a review as I don’t want this gem of a resort to be widely known (for purely selfish reasons). My daughter and I stayed at the resort from May 17 to 27, 2022. This was our second time at the Barcelo resort in Mexico, first visit was years ago. The Maya Rivera Adults only was AMAZING!!!! I can’t say enough good things about our stay. Service was exceptional, we got the premium level package and were so thankful for the room selection - no I am  [... read more]not saying the room number - haha. Thanks to management for hooking us up with the best ocean front view - wow! Pools are incredible, beach was clean and seating plentiful with shady spots. Drinks were yum with minimal line ups. The al a chart restaurants were terrific, our favourites were Japanese, Italian, and French - but really all the restaurant were 5 star. Loved the Fitness and Wellness (gym) facilities too. This is the place to be people!!! The service (wait staff, management, premium staff, housekeeping, and bartenders are top notch and so friendly. I will definitely go back without hesitation - and already thinking of booking again soon. Thank you Barcelo Maya Rivera - my favourite all inclusive ever (and I have been too many over the years). This resort may be the only one I go too in the future when visiting Mexico. Okay, don’t tell anyone else :)!!!

Barcelo Maya Palace: Beautiful property, views, and people!

This is our fifth time at the Barcelo over 25 years Most people we met from all over are repeat customers, saying it’s a beautiful place, clean, and consistent. Noticeable was less waste of items placed in rooms, clean surfaces, staff wearing masks, new staff polite, attentive. It appeared there was less staff but perhaps because the hotel was not full. Always could get a spot. No issues. Supper time Buffet was not as impressive but restaurants are good at the Palace. Family oriented, pa [... read more]tience as they do allow toddlers in the evenings at restaurants. Not able to take advantage of beach as much this week due to heavy Seaweed presence from super windy days. Barcelo is established sporting an expansive concrete boardwalk all the way across all five resorts makes for a nice walk parallel to the water to sandier beaches towards newer adult Riviera Maya hotel . It’s is a relaxing resort, well maintained-good value for the price!

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Great resort

It was our 50th anniversary and we couldn’t be more pleased with our selection of this hotel especially the staff who were very friendly and helpful no matter how small the issues the ambiance cleanliness were all above board we would highly recommend this hotel to everyone thanks for the memories

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Meh

The staff at the hotel were amazing. The rooms were clean but the mini fridge was rarely restocked with the basics which was disappointing. The night life at the hotel was a huge disappointment and not much was going on. The seaweed was horrific. Did not even swim in the ocean based on how bad the beach was up-kept and used only the pool. They had multiple dump trucks attending the beach to get ride of the significant amount of seaweed daily. The gym on-site was fantastic! Food, me [... read more]h nothing special. Average at best. If your looking for a family resort this is not the place for you. Music selection at the pool bar had foul and obscene language, which was directly beside the kids pool. Minors were being served alcohol and puking in bushes creating a fantastic smell with the heat *eye roll*. Sometimes waiting for a towel at the pool took 30-40 minutes. Workers just walked away leaving a longline and frustrated people. We also did a boat tour with Adventures Cancun. Save your money. Food was something similar to a school lunch and the drinks were terrible. We were only permitted at the front of the boat and were only served drinks by one staff member. With 30 people on the tour you can imagine the wait times. Overall the resort was meh, I would not return.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Beautiful

Rooms and lobbies were very clean and kept up. Swimming pools were clean but had a few items to attend such as cigarettes in the middle fountain area that looked to be there for a long time. Since the resort is very large a quick map of the resort in rooms or in a hand out would have been super helpful.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Big Disappointment

Our second visit to this resort proved very disappointing. Still a beautiful setting and stunning to look at, the resort has deteriorated physically lacking even minimum expectations of hot water and functioning mini-fridges. Our room, particularly the bathroom was very tired. The food at The Grill, where we ate dinner several times, was uninspired with very small portions. The lunch buffet and poolside fare provided few choices. The Room Service food was inedible. Service was inconsistent  [... read more]and the overall impression was of a food service staff that is severely overworked. The resort is very clean and maid service was efficient and friendly. All staff were masked at all times and there were hand sanitizing stations throughout. This resort is definitely not what it used to be and we will not return.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Beautiful

This was our first time in 12 visits to the Mayan Riviera staying at a Barcelo. It was excellent. The location of the pools, beach and rooms is perfect. You can get around easily to the sister hotels if you are looking for a change of scenery. Great gym, great food and everyone worked so hard to make your holiday great. Top hotel for us and we will be back!

Royal Hideaway Playacar: This resort is NOT a 5 star, very dated, not very clean!

I would not recommend this resort to anyone. There was no concierge, my phone did not work all week, asked 4 times to have it repaired. Had to asked for products. Patio door did not lock. Rooms not very clean…. Very dated. Grounds need A lot of TLC and to be cleaned. Pool was never cleaned, a lot of build up on the sides, needs a major clean. Beach was not cleaned, a lot of garbage. Chairs on the beach old, torn, dirty. Rooms, lobby, chair's, restaurants need a deep cleaning an [... read more]d a lot of TLC. Beach shower dirty, falling a part. Service in restaurants was good, the food was good, very limited seafood. I would consider this resort a 3 star only! Victoria, I was not happy at all with your recommendation and the price we paid for the week for this resort!

Occidental Caribe: Ah the beach

HOTEL - Lots of rooms face the ocean due to horizontal alignment. Roomy beach front with lots of palms and chairs. Nice pools ACTIVITY - team friendly, got a kick out of wow wow wow guy Typical, darts, bingo, dance BUFFET - Tasty tender chicken and fish, decent sides and choices, skip the beef, standard grills along the side for eggs in AM and pasta and other items in PM ALACARTE -we tried 3 Japanese - good French - Mahi Mahi very good Dominican - Goat stew had great flavor we h [... read more]ighly recommend SNACK BAR by pool varied, some days more choices, skip the hamburger PIZZA place above snack bar another I'd skip but some love it

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Wonderful Resort, Mostly!

We had a wonderful 10 day stay at this Barcelo. The hotel and all the amenities were topnotch, the staff were friendly, helpful and professional, our room was luxurious and the weather was just right! The only aspect that really disappointed us was the food. Whether at the buffet or at the specialty restaurants, the quality and variety weren't up to the standards we've come to expect from this resort chain. Especially disappointing was how difficult it was to find out about gluten-free food op [... read more]tions. We eventually managed to get a translated card from the concierge to show to the serving folks, but they never seemed too interested in helping me understand what my gluten-free options were. We presumed that this may well be due to covid supply chain challenges, so hopefully things change soon again as we'd love to come back here again!

Occidental Punta Cana: First Trip!

This was my first trip ever. I cannot wait to return. The rooms were clean, the staff was so very pleasant and welcoming. As someone with food allergies, the buffet had amazing options. Be sure to tip!

Occidental Tucancun: Beautiful Resort

Amazing layout, friendly staff, needs more shade on the beach. Has none! Mid day it's impossible to be on the beach due to lack of shade. Overall it's a beautiful resort. Due to its layout, everything is conveniently located.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barcelo Bavaro Palace

The grounds and facilities were great, the beach (amazing) is the best feature of the property. Most staff were friendly and the grounds were kept in immaculate condition. We enjoyed the evening entertainment, the billiards and Casino and listening to their piano player. It was too bad that the disco was closed. We were disappointed with the food, even taking dukoral before the trip our family of 4 got sick while we were there. We were told while we were there that the room service is highly rec [... read more]ommended over the buffet....wish we knew that when we booked it. The a la carte is definitely recommended but I would not recommend the steak house. The Japanese and French restaurants were our favourites.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Amazing resort

Room was great Food was very good Pool was beautiful Restaurants were fabulous Waitresses were very good at getting our drinks by the pool Beds were very comfortable Beach was good when there was no wind Staff was excellent all around

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Enjoyable Adult Only Resort

Resort was very clean, immaculate grounds. Staff were friendly, with great poolside service. Ala cartes were excellent!(other then seafood restaurant which we did not enjoy ) We had a premium oceanview room,which had beautiful view of ocean. Great room service. Resort is very quiet, activities held at the beach area, which we didn't do, but were offered throughout the day.

Occidental Punta Cana: Excellent resort delicious food great entertainment

I have all good things regarding this resort Occidental Punta Cana but moreover I wish to express how amazing Rachel was with our needs Trip Central is a very fortunate company to have her on your team thank you Rachel you are 5 stars out of 5

Occidental Punta Cana: Pros and Cons

Beautiful hotel. Good food. Beautiful beach. Clean beautiful rooms. Terrible service. They cater to the locals/Spanish speaking individuals. Good luck getting service, even if you tip. Front desk was not helpful. The same miserable woman was always working there, and she could care less about you. I got my own silverware, napkins, and often ate full meals without a drink. There was one woman and one man that provided good service in the buffet, amongst all of them. I would finally flag down a [... read more] server, ask for a drink and they wouldn't come back. 2 male bartenders in the lounge would serve you in sequence of you "turn", and the younger boys in the late night (upper) bar served you appropriately. They were super nice and fun, made for a good experience. Were always smiling and genuinely having a good time, which in turn helped you to have a good time. They even played songs we requested. Best employees of the place. Pizza guys were friendly also. Great spot, but they definitely need to work on service and friendliness. Often times we felt unwelcome.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Amazing Resort

This was our 5th visit to the Royal Hideaway. Yes the rooms are a little tired but they are spotlessly clean. The grounds are immaculate. The people make the resort. They are so kind and work so very hard. The food was fantastic. All staff wore masks and we did too. We would go back in a heartbeat.